Anika Noni Rose: ‘I was sexually assaulted on a plane’

Actress and singer Anika Noni Rose has revealed she was sexually assaulted on a plane flight last year (17).

In an interview on SiriusXM’sMake It Plain on Thursday (18Jan18), the Dreamgirls star revealed she has never spoken publicly about the alleged assault and has been trying to find out the name of the person who committed the act.

“I don’t know this person,” she told host Mark Thompson. “He didn’t introduce himself. There was no, ‘Hi, how are you doing?’ And I was asleep before the plane even took off; I’m one of those sleepers…”

Rose claims the alleged assault woke her up and she immediately reported the incident to the crew, who offered to turn the plane around and call in airport police detectives to find the man.

“I was offered that option in the beginning, and I said no, because it seemed like the person was then going to go to sleep…,” she added. “I told the steward and stewardess, ‘I just want you to keep an eye on this person. I just want you to know that this is happening’.”

But she changed her mind: “I was like, ‘I don’t know what to do with myself. Yes, please turn the plane around’,” she continued. “I was shaking. I was so upset and so hurt and angry… I wanted to punch that man.”

The actress has since been trying to get justice for the alleged assault ever since, but she has hit a lot of dead ends.

“I made a report right then with the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) and they dropped it,” she continued. “They dropped the case. I can honestly say that I have not done much with it. I made my report. I followed up with the police, like I was told to do. The police did nothing.”

Anika, who has chosen not to reveal the exact details about the alleged assault while she is pursuing her legal options, is dismayed about how the situation has so far unfolded, but she has vowed to continue fighting.

“The amount of care that is taken to protect perpetrators is vastly heavier and stronger than the amount of care that is taken to protect victims” she said. “(But) I’m not finished.”